A few days ago I made another trip over to the north east of Ballarat to the beautiful and still flourishing goldfields town of Bendigo.
Bendigo is just far enough away to be drier, hotter and sit in a different landscape.
I went with a friend to see the old Joss house, which sits a bit outside the city centre near the former Ironbark Chinese Camp. It is still a working temple, small and beautiful. Sadly, none of Ballarat's old temples have survived.
My friend's father-in-law was the caretaker at the temple for for many years and she told me some stories about his time there over a delicious Italian lunch, in a restaurant just down from the best book shop in Bendigo.
After lunch I went off to the Golden Dragon Museum with its beautiful new garden precinct, traditional walled Chinese garden and two more working temples. I love Bendigo!
Traditional and modern sit happily together in the museum's grounds.
The brilliant colours of the elegant and baroque gateway sets off the nineteenthe century Victorian streetscape around it.
A modern pavilion across the road is surely second cousin to the little pavilion in the museum grounds.
We finished up in the best secondhand bookshop in Bendigo which is less than five minutes away from the museum, in Farmer's Lane.
Where I bought a centenary history of the Australian Natives' Association 1871 to 1971. Then we drove home, and it was still sunny when we got back to Ballarat!
